The state of the world has only fallen further into disrepair, but after three crust-ridden decades, Rotten Sound are still grinding. Despite production slowing to a halt during the pandemic, the Finnish vets outran the coming apocalypse on their last album. Now, two years later, they’re back with another brief but no less devastating burst. Take cover, metalheads. Rotten Sound are laying waste to social plagues with Mass Extinction.
“We like to make concise statements”, Keijo Niinimaa says about their whopping 11th EP. While the band’s longtime raging vocalist still has hope for the future, when it comes to our current state of affairs, his outlook on Mass Extinction is more dire than ever. “Bringing about real meaningful change seems to take forever. Misinformation, polarization, conspiracy theories and censorship have made everyone more distrustful”.
Few extreme bands have enjoyed the shelf life of Rotten Sound. Since emerging from underground Vaasa with their debut album Under Pressure, the Finnish exports have cultivated a reputation as one of the larger scene’s most pungent yet stabilizing presences. Niinimaa first grabbed the mic not long after guitarist Mika Aalto started the band back in 1993, while drummer Sami Lava has held the throne since 2004, when original stickman Kai Hahto left to found Wintersun. Early albums Murderworks and Exitare still widely cited road maps for grindcore, though their high-speed blend of classic D-beat punk and Swedish death metal has only sharpened with each successive stab in the studio.
“…an absolutely essential listen from a legendary band”, Invisible Oranges wrote upon the arrival of Apocalypse, Rotten Sound’s eighth and latest LP. “This is the sound of a band who have mastered the genre’s machinations and are now immortalized in its cannon”.
Each Rotten Sound release spews uncontrollable chaos, but there’s a method to their madness. Since signing with Season of Mist in 2012, the band has followed each full-length with a short statement. Like a mushroom cloud, Mass Extinction arose from the immediate aftermath of Apocalypse. All six off-the-rails tracks were laid down during the same recording sessions before getting mixed at Rain City Recorders and later mastered by Brad Boatright. But their new EP is no half-life mutation. “Recycle” whirs and churns with the all-consuming power of a supply chain.
“Napalm Death and Nasum have both done longer albums, but that’s their thing”, explains Niinimaa. “Our thing is we want to be straight to the point. After all the recording was done, we decided which songs would go on Apocalypse and which ones made sense together for Mass Extinction”.
Rotten Sound know how to get their message across. In just under 10 minutes, Mass Extinction chews through toxic consumerism, labor exploitation and other plagues on society. Lead single “Brave New World” pushes for unity over divisive politicking behind a barrage of blast beats. But while our leaders certainly need to clean up their act, there’s nothing stale about this band’s filthy brand of grindcore. Even the slightly optimistic “Idealist” gives way to a downright hostile groove upon Niinimaa’s screaming command.
“Wake up!” With so much atomic force, it’s impossible not to heed Rotten Sound’s warning on Mass Extinction.
Recording Lineup:
Keijo Niinimaa — Vocals
Mika Aalto — Guitars
Sami Latva — Drums
Matti Raappana — Bass, Backing Vocals
All music written by Mika Aalto.
All lyrics written by Keijo Niinimaa.
Recording & Sound Engineer:
Janne Saksa
Recording Studio:
Sound Supreme for drums and vocals, Nordic Audio Labs for guitar and bass
Mixing:
Jesse Gander at Rain City Studios
Mastering:
Brad Boatright at Audio Siege
Cover Art:
Error Design
Photos:
Mika Aalto
Pre-order & Pre-save:
https://orcd.co/rottensoundmassextinction
Available Formats:
Digital Download
CD Digipak
12″ Vinyl (Black with B-side etching)
12″ Colored Vinyl (Dark Green with B-side etching)
12″ Colored Vinyl (Half Copper, Half Black with B-site etching)
Follow Rotten Sound:
Website: https://rottensound.com/
Bandcamp: http://rottensound.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RottenSoundOfficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rottensoundgrind/
Twitter (X): https://x.com/RottenSound
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4aglyvdJ7ApTfDC6aQ2LFf
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/artist/rotten-sound/71466405
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/artist/75185
Tidal: https://tidal.com/artist/3673376
